The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-03-17
THE FOREST HILLS DISASTER
Expert Testimony Indicates a Hroken Jour.
nni the Cause.

Expert Testimony Ia.llcates a Ilroken Jour.
nnl the Cause.
BosroN, MASS March 1G.-The railroad
commissioners continued their inveetips-
ton into the cause Of the Forest Hills &C.
cident to-day. George Richards, master
mechanic OF the Boston and Providence
road testified that the tclescoping Of the
cars seemed to indicate that there must
have been break in some part of the
train. Anything that would suddenly
stop the forward part OF train youla
cause such teiescoping, either the break
ing OF truck or wheel or q derailment
would cause 1t. A single derailmept
would not cause the trucks to come Oft
when the train was going fifteen miles an
hour, lion frozen ground. Wituess thought
the cause Of the accident was a-psrtial
derailment which must have taken place
on the bridge, as there were no siyns of
such on the Roslindsle side. He had not
seen the sleepers on the bridge to note
whether there was any sign Of derailment
on them. The trucks Of the third car
must have atruck the 'abutment. The tel.
escoplng must have taken place on the
bridge before the sbutment was struck.
The bridge must have been in good condi.
ton when the locomotive struck it. When
the bridge collapsed it must have done 80
on the west side first. The first and sec.
ond cars were strong and substantial. The
third car was OF little different pattern.
The others were strong and substantial,
Witness had seen nothing in his exam.
ination that would indicate serious
weakness in the bridge. In examining
the wreck he did not discover any rusty
cracks in the iron, except one in one OF
bearing plates. The plate WAS It" ehaped.
It hada small crack, but thought it OF no
Importance. 1t was broken out OF some
columnar support Of the bridge but he
did not know from which part. Witness
was out there yesterday and examined all
the piers but could find nothing more
than few impsrfeCtions in the welding.
1t was very rare to find o really perfect
weld. The axle OF car No. 81 was repair.
cd last January. The journals showed n
discoloration all tho way round.
That wheel had been preserved.
II the journal broke outside Of
the wheel it would cause aerious scci-
dent, Tor one OF the worst accidents in
this State was caused in that WY. The
weight Of the car is carried on the journal,
Xhe break Of the journal would take of
the weight from the wheels, and then the
wheels would leave the track. Tho break
ing OF that journal might have caused a
severe shock to the bridge. The journal
might have broken bali mile away.
Broken journals have been known to 90
forty to tifty miles without accident. This
accident may have been caused by the
derailing Of this pair OF wheels either on
tho bridge or before. II it took place on
the bridge it must have given such
shock to 1t as to throw it of. The bridge
was about 100 feet long, and each car was
so long. When the fifth car with the
broken journal would be on the bridge,
the first three would be over. 1t was
probably the first or second that left the
track. At the place where tho bridge
joined the abutment tho rail was contint1-
GUS. There was clasp joining the rail to
the abutment. This held, but the rail
Was torn OF. The joint in the rails was in
the center Of the bridge. There wss a lao
on both sides Of the bridge. Tho teles.
scoping Of tho cars would indicate that the
accident first occurred to the train and not
to the bridge, aud that the bridge went
down as the result OF the accident to the
train, Adjourned, E.@.